Signs Of Depression in Teens: Evolve Treatment Centers

Hello. I’m Elise Guthmann, and I’m a
marriage and family therapist of one of evolves residential treatment
centers in Ojai California. So today I’m here to talk with you
about what signs to look for in changes of behavior in your teenager
to know if they need help. There’s five main categories of behaviors to keep an eye on. The first is simple functioning, and we want to pay attention if you’re teenager’s level of functioning is decreasing. The next area of behaviors to keep an eye on are the
mental health behaviors or mood behaviors. Are they sad and crying more
often? Is there anger and door slamming? These are just some examples of some of
the mood differences that we might track over time. The third category is an
increase in substance abuse behaviors. And number four, how are they doing when it
comes to simply following rules and respecting limits? Are they starting to
sneak out or disobey household rules? The fifth category is really a combination
of all the other four, and these are what we typically consider life-threatening
or risky behaviors, and these can include things like cutting, restricting meals, it
can include things that we call suicidal ideation, which is when your child thinks
that they don’t want to go on living or that they think it might be easier not
to live, If your teenager happens to fall in the category where they’re engaging
in those life-threatening behaviors and it is imminent and life-threatening, I
encourage you to call 9-1-1 or get them to an emergency room as soon as possible.
If that doesn’t happen to be the case with you, a great place to start is to
consult either with your current therapist and/or anyone else who you
have access to who can guide you through this process. Once you have an idea after
that consult about what level of care of treatment your child may need, it’s a
great opportunity to research what exists and what better options may be
for your child. It’s very important to do all three of these things: consulting
with an expert, doing your own research, and involving your insurance company so
that you’re able to be as efficient as possible while you’re trying to get the
most effective treatment for your child in a way that you can actually access it.
The most important thing for you to know as a parent is that if there’s a problem
the odds are it won’t get better on its own, but as the parent this is your
opportunity to step in and help your teenager problem solve this situation
and get them the support and resources so that they can turn things around and
go on to living that fulfilling successful life
ahead of them